Twenty Five Years
by LuxaLovesLawnmowers
Summary: Twenty-five years after the war, Kakashi talks and thinks with his friends about the way things used to be and the way things are. The more they've changed...The more it's the same. Story of his life, really.


Disclaimer- I don't own Naruto.

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Kakashi watched the blonde-haired girl run around with her friends, who all had varying degrees of familarality. He glanced next to him, hands stuffed in his pockets. Everything had changed, and yet somehow nothing had. He looked at Kurenai, whose hair was almost as gray as his these days. He was glad she wasn't like Anko, who had pretended age didn't happen and had insisted on dying it.

He looked at Iruka, who was whistling for the kids to line up. Even his hair had a few gray strands poking out of his ponytail. Then Genma, who still had his signature smile but had added a few wrinkles around the mouth and eyes. Raido, who was the oldest active shinobi, was leaning foward, hands in his lap. His scar had faded and his eyes had gained more bags. Twenty-five years had passed since the end of the war. Twenty-five years since Guy, Sasuke, Shino, and Tenten had passed and their names added to the memorial stone. Twenty-five years since Sakura and Naruto had really grown up.

He was fifty-five. If his hair hadn't already been silver it would have been by now. Out of the Chunin and Jonin that had been alive and active when Naruto was a teen, he was looking at them. Himself, Anko, Kurenai, Raido, and Genma. Guy, Izumo, Kotestu, Ibiki, Asuma...the list of the dead went on.

Naruto and Sakura had married each other, Shikamaru with Temari, Ino with Choji, and so on. Kakashi, of course, had remained a bachelor. So had the other men of his generation. Kakashi was beginning to wonder if there was something seriously wrong with them. Anyway, the Hatake line was certian to die out, considering that Kakashi wasn't a cradle robber and women his age weren't eager to have children.

It was a mystery to him how fast his years had run out. When he was half his current age he had never thought he would live to thirty.

"Thinking about the past, huh?" asked Kurenai, smiling slightly.

"You know me. Besides, it's the anniversary of the war. Almost feels wrong not to."

"I get your meaning."

"Also...I feel old."

"Don't we all? We're the generation they all talk about, you know. The legends that were made. See, that kid is looking at you."

Kakashi looked back at the schoolyard and saw a six or seven year old staring at him with wide eyes. He turned back to Kurenai.

"So what? Most of the legends are dead. They still talk about the 'Blue Beast of the Leaf'."

Genma snorted. "Only people that didn't know him."

Kurenai laughed. "That's true. Besides, you're still alive, Kakashi. A living legend."

"Nah," Kakashi tapped the metal part of his forehead protector. "Blind in one eye. The legend's gone."

"I'm just happy to reach sixty. More than Jiriaya ever did, and I'm nothing compared to him." said Raido thoughtfully.

"That's because no one knows who you are, or you'd attract trouble." replied Kakashi.

Anko who had fallen asleep, grunted and rolled to Genma's other shoulder.

Raido scowled. "That's not very nice."

"Did I say it was a bad thing? There are always jerks out there who want to fight me because I'm the Copy Ninja. For god's sake, I can't walk up the stairs without my back complaining. I wish they would leave me alone. I don't know how Jiriaya ever did it."

"That man was too obsessed with boobs to think about anything else, old or not."

"Talking about Jiriaya?" asked Sakura, walking up to them. Kakashi felt even more ancient when he saw that she was beginning to aquire a few of her own wrinkles.

"How'd you guess?" asked Genma mockingly.

"So, how're you old timers doing?"

"The usual," shrugged Kakashi. "Complaining about our age and wondering how Tsunade and Jiriaya did it."

"Tsunade...simple. Jutsu. Jiriaya was just crazy." responded Sakura immediently.

Anko woke up and streched her back so that he joints popped.

"I think we found this generation's crazy." said Raido.

"Stop talking about me." muttered Anko drowsily.

Kakashi, slightly bored, pulled out a very worn copy of Make-Out Paradise and started to read.

"Still on that?" asked Sakura in disbelief.

"Of course...I have to pay so much more attention these days, though. Older men's problems, you know."

Anko gagged and Sakura smacked him. "Ew. I don't need mental images."

"I'm sure his is all wrinkly and-ow!"

Genma found himself backhanded by the pink fury.

"I'm sure Naruto likes that punch." grinned Raido.

"You perverted old men and your fantasies." grumbled Sakura.

"It's all we have."

Anko and Kurenai sighed. "Kurenai, have they ever once asked us out on a date?"

"No, they haven't."

"Would we say yes?"

"Depends on which loser asked me."

"You were supposed to say yes!"

Kurenai laughed. "I'm being honest."

"Which one of them would you turn down?" asked Sakura curiously.

"Raido." Anko answered without hesitation.

"What!" said Raido, flustered.

"You're way older than me."

"What? Eight years is not that much!"

"In my mind it is."

Everyone shook their head as Anko and Raido started a heated argument. They were used to it.

"Kakashi?"

Kakashi glanced at Sakura. "Hn?"

"Are you...I don't know how to put this...all right? You usually seem so gloomy on the anniversary."

"I'm fine. it's just another day to this old man."

"I know you're lying...but I'll take it."

Sakura walked away, Kakashi watching her. The more everything changed the more it stayed the same.

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It was a plot bunny I had! I think it's cute. Ignore the spelling errors, I have no time to fix them. See ya!


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